At the beginning of July, the Big Sky Conference released the Academic All-Conference list for spring sports. To be Academic All-Conference, an athlete must maintain a 3.2 GPA while competing in at least half of the team’s competitions. Portland State had 23 athletes on the list.
At the beginning of July, the Big Sky Conference released the Academic All-Conference list for spring sports. To be Academic All-Conference, an athlete must maintain a 3.2 GPA while competing in at least half of the team’s competitions. Portland State had 23 athletes on the list.
Golf had four athletes make the list, including senior Tiffany Schoning, who came within a stroke of winning the Big Sky tournament. Freshman Jazmin Ratcliff was one of 12 track and field athletes who qualified for the list. Ratcliff was on the 4×100 meter relay team that made it to regionals. Seven tennis players topped off the list.
Softball, another spring sport, plays in a different conference. The commissioner’s honor roll for the Pacific Coast Softball Conference was released last week and included 15 Portland State softball players. The Vikings had more athletes on the list than any other school in the conference and the most at PSU since 2003. The PCSC commissioner’s honor roll required a 3.0 GPA for the 2011–12 school year.
With all the time student athletes spend at practice, working out and competing, they aren’t left with a lot of time for studying. Coaches and staff who train these athletes also play a huge role in their academic success.
“Our athletic department has put a lot of resources in place for our kids to get a lot of help,” assistant track and field coach Seth Henson said. “There is a lot more one-on-one mentoring as far as their academics go, and there is a lot of time spent, if the kids need the help, with tutors. I really feel like it’s an effort from our athletic directors, who have put the resources in place to be successful.”
Academics and athletics go hand in hand. To participate in athletic events, student athletes have to be successful in the classroom. The coaching staff has to be just as involved in the students’ academic lives as they are their athletic lives. The team can’t just be successful in one—it has to be successful in both. That’s why hearing all the names on that list makes coaches proud.
“I’m very proud of the athletes,” Henson said. “Not only did they have one of the best academic years, but they also had one of the best years athletically. We’re pretty happy with the kids. They train hard and do well off the track as well.”
The track and field squad is coming off its best season in five years, which included sending five athletes to regionals and senior Sean MacKelvie to nationals. Henson worked with a lot of athletes on technique and form this season. But head coach Ronnye Harrison has stressed to his staff, including Henson, the importance of making sure all athletes are on top of their games academically. That is one reason why the track and field squad had 12 athletes make the list.
“If you’re not on top of your studies, you’re stressed out,” Henson said. “When our kids are on top of their grades, they have a better attitude during training, and we get a lot more from them.”
